NBA

Kevin Love had a bold strategy for defending Larry Nance Jr. during the Cavs game on Monday ... by giving his old teammate's ass a smack!!

The odd moment went down with less than three minutes left in the third quarter of Cleveland's MLK Day matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans ... when Nance -- the son of former Cavs and Suns star Larry Nance -- was waiting for Jose Alvarado to inbound the ball.

Nance's reaction is hilarious -- he quickly pleads with refs to do something about the bizarre tactic ... but ultimately, the game continued without a foul.

Of course, it was all in good fun ... as Love and Nance grew close during their time together with the Wine & Gold.

Love and Nance's former Cavs teammate/NBA referee Richard Jefferson even got in on the fun ... posting a TikTok about the incident.

"Hey @kevinlove this is under review for a flagrant," RJ joked. "@larrydn7 you good?"

Nance -- an Ohio native who played for the Cavs from 2018-21 -- finished the game with four points, three rebounds and three assists for NOLA.

If the NBA needs someone new to design its alternate jerseys or basketball courts, Mr. Brainwash is clearly the league's guy ... the famous street artist tells TMZ Sports he'd love to do it if asked!!

Recently, teams in the Association have been finding ways to get creative by working with artists for their City Edition floor designs and alternate jerseys. In fact, with the Nets' most recent threads, they channeled Brooklyn artist Jean-Michel Basquiat for the theme.

When we got Thierry Guetta -- famously known as Mr. Brainwash -- out in L.A. this week ... we had to ask if he, too, would like to join in on the fun someday ... and he told us absolutely!

"Yes, definitely," he said while out in Beverly Hills. "I'm always open."

Of course, the gig wouldn't be Mr. Brainwash's first big assignment -- he's a legend in L.A. who's created some amazing artwork, including a famous mural of the late Kobe and Gianna Bryant.

The French-born artist says he loves what he does ... telling us his work is "not only with people with talent but with people with a lot of passion."

Charlotte Hornets forward Kelly Oubre Jr. claims a luxury clothing company screwed him on a six-figure deal ... and now, TMZ Sports has learned he's suing over it all.

The lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles County on Friday ... and, according to the docs, it all stems from a pact Oubre Jr. attempted to make with former pro basketball player Patrick Christopher and his company, Sloan And Bennett, in 2021.

Oubre claims he asked Christopher and his co. to help him make products for his own clothing line, DopeSoul. He says in the suit Patrick agreed to provide him with items for DopeSoul's Capsule 001 and 002 collections.

The 28-year-old hooper says he sent over hundreds of thousands of dollars to Christopher ... expecting to receive clothing in return.

The problem ... Oubre Jr. claimed Christopher never delivered what he promised -- saying simply in the suit "the defendants did not perform."

Oubre Jr. said "for months" Christopher and his company dodged him and made excuses for why the products weren't available.

Finally, according to the suit, Christopher and his co. "shipped what they could scrape together" in 2022 ... but it included "incomplete, damaged, and defective goods."

Oubre Jr. is suing for breach of contract, fraud and more ... asking for damages of at least $94,250, and maybe a lot more.

Draymond Green says he's still working to repair his relationship with Jordan Poole after their violent practice altercation three months ago ... admitting their dynamic has completely changed, but it's slowly improved with time.

The Golden State Warriors forward opened up about the incident in an interview with Taylor Rooks ... saying he watched the clip over and over after TMZ Sports published it on Oct. 7, and while he knew he was in the wrong, he claims there's more to the story that he will share one day.

"Once that [video] released, I'm experiencing so many emotions," Green says. "Like, I'm upset. How the hell does this get released? Going through hell because you're just at the sole discretion of public opinion."

Green says the two players have been able to go about their business as professionals since the video was released, but points out they're not rushing to hang out off the court anytime soon.

"We go to work every day together," he says. "Our lockers are right next to each other, that never changed. We ride the same buses together, we change in the same locker room on the road together -- none of that has changed."

"Did it change our relationship, of course. Absolutely. That's still a work in progress. I'll always be willing to continue to do that work because I was wrong."

Enes Kanter Freedom -- an outspoken critic of human rights violations worldwide -- has been declared one of Turkey's most wanted terrorists ... with the government issuing a $530K bounty for information leading to the arrest of the former NBA player.

According to the Turkish Minute, Turkey's Interior Ministry issued its “Terrorist Wanted List", which included the 30-year-old longtime NBA player, accused of being a member of a terrorist organization.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the gov. also put up a reward of 10 million Turkish liras -- equivalent to around $532K U.S. dollars -- for anyone who puts Kanter behind bars.

“I’m not the only one. There are so many innocent journalists, academics, athletes, activists and educators on this list. Now their lives are in danger because of the Turkish government,” Enes told TM.

Freedom hasn't been shy when criticizing Erdogan over the years, previously referring to the leader as a "dictator" and the "Hitler of our century."

"Because of my platform, whenever I say something, it goes everywhere, and the Turkish government hates that," Freedom told the NY Post this week. "They’re really sick of it, and they said, ‘Enough is enough,’ and doing whatever they can to shut me up."

Kanter, who legally changed his name to Enes Kanter Freedom, spent 13 seasons in the NBA ... playing for the Jazz, Thunder, Knicks, Trailblazers, and, most recently, the Boston Celtics in 2021-22. He became a U.S. citizen in 2021.

Despite the bounty recently being issued, the Turkish government has been trying to silence Kanter for years. Now, however, Enes is concerned for his safety, believing he will now be the target of not just the government.

“That makes it so dangerous,” Kanter said to the Post.

“Before the bounty, Turkish intelligence was after the people on the list, but now everyone is after them because they want the money.”

Tyler Herro is not just a #GirlDad anymore ... 'cause the Miami Heat star's famous girlfriend just gave birth to their first baby boy -- and his name is Harlem!!

The 22-year-old guard and fitness model Katya Elise Henry announced last June they were expecting their second child ... and Harlem finally arrived on Thursday.

"Welcome to this big beautiful world baby Harlem," Henry wrote alongside a photo with her son.

Herro -- who missed Thursday's game due to the birth of his son and an Achilles injury -- was right by Katya's side and even shared a photo of the dry erase board in their hospital room containing a special message ... "Happy Birthday Harlem 😀"

Side note, Katya's dancing might've played a part in their son's arrival ... the 27-year-old posted an IG video just five days ago where she said ... "last time this dance put me into labor lol".

This is the second bundle of joy for the couple who started dating in 2020. Their daughter, Zya Elise Herro, was born in September 2021.

BTW, Herro has been beastin' on the basketball court, averaging 21.2 points, 6 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game.

BTS rapper Suga might be a "boy with luv" for a new team -- the K-pop superstar was spotted hanging courtside at the Laker game on Thursday ... bringing his Warriors allegiances into question.

Suga hit up Crypto.com Arena as Los Angeles hosted the Dallas Mavericks ... and he appeared to be in great spirits, enjoying a cold beer as he checked out the action.

The guy's presence was clearly known to the players ... with Luka Doncic even dapping him up before the game.

Of course, Suga appeared to be deep in Dub Nation prior to the season ... getting his own custom Golden State jersey and hanging out with the team when they were in Japan for a preseason game against the Washington Wizards.

He was also getting close with Steph Curry ... who gifted him a pair of signed shoes after the matchup.

But, Suga might be swayed to the Purple & Gold now ... as the Lakers also got him a custom jersey prior to attending Thursday's game.

Shaquille O'Neal's clearly a man of his word ... 'cause after he bet he'd eat a frog if TCU lost to Georgia in the national championship -- he settled his debt live on television on Thursday night!!!

Shaq initially made the wager with his "NBA On TNT" co-host Ernie Johnson last week ... saying if UGA managed to pull out the victory over the Horned Frogs on Monday, he'd scarf down a plate of toad.

The Dawgs ended up smacking TCU 65-7 ... and when it came time to pay up on the bet on Thursday's show, Shaq didn't shy away.

Ernie brought out a plate of what appeared to be multiple fried frog legs, and the NBA legend stuffed his mouth with them one by one as a nation of basketball fans looked on.

Shaq took bite after bite after bite -- while Ernie gloated with a Georgia helmet strapped to his head.

"I'm a man of my word," O'Neal said as he chomped away on the dish. "I'm a man of my word, Ernie."

Shaq had some fun with the guys on the set while finishing off the legs -- sticking a piece of the meal in his teeth while adding, "I just want to let ya'll know these frog legs are good!"

LeBron James had the best day off Wednesday, sitting courtside at son Bronny James' Senior Night game at Sierra Canyon ... where the 18-year-old hoops star went off!

Bronny, in his last year at SC, took part in the yearly tradition ... where H.S. seniors are celebrated before their last home game of the season.

LBJ and his wife Savannah pulled up to support their 18-year-old son -- rockin' black hoodies featuring Bronny on the back -- where they took photos on the court.

Bronny's younger brother Bryce, who also hoops for the Trailblazers, and his little sister, Zhuri, also posed for the pic.

The 18-year-old guard put on a show, too ... coming close to registering a triple-double. James put up 18 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists in their win against Loyola.

BTW, LeBron wasn't the only star at Bronny's game, surprisingly ... Hip hop mogul Diddy was also in attendance, as well as former NBA player and Mavs assistant coach Jared Dudley.

Of course, this isn't the end of James' basketball career. He's set to graduate this spring, and he's received a ton of interest from colleges across the country, including Ohio State.

And after college, pops has made it clear he wants to play at least one season on the same NBA team as Bronny.

Grizzlies star Ja Morant gave a young fan his game-worn jersey and Ja 1 sneakers from Wednesday night's showdown against the Spurs ... after her autographed basketball was sadly stolen Monday night at the FedEx Forum.

Ellie Hughes, an 11-year-old Grizzlies fan, was at the Grizzlies-Spurs game Monday night ... and was trying to get Ja's attention when she laid the signed basketball down.

When Ellie looked back up, the basketball was gone. Ellie has been to every Grizzlies' home game with her grandfather since she was five, and the ball had a ton of sentimental value since she had been collecting signatures from players after games, according to actionnews5.com.

Enter Ja ... the 23-year-old discovered what happened to Ellie and wanted to help make things right for her and her family.

The Hughes family was at FedEx Forum again Wednesday ... and after the game, Morant got some facetime with the youngster, where he gifted her his jersey and sneakers.

“I was trying to get in contact w the fam," Morant said in his postgame interview. "I reached out & offered them two of the courtside seats that I give to my fam & told them after the game I would give my jersey & shoes."

"Definitely a good feeling to have them there supporting us and see that smile on their face at the end," he added.

In addition to the jersey and Ja 1 kicks Ellie received, she also got to watch Morant drop 38 points ... en route to the Grizzlies' 135-129 win over San Antonio.

Emily Ratajkowski's making Madison Square Garden the setting for her own little soap opera -- she and Eric Andre hit the Knicks game, but not together ... instead, she was with a mystery dude.

Emily and an apparent new date were chatting it up courtside Wednesday night as the Knicks defeated the rival Pacers, 119-113.

The duo was definitely giving first-date vibes, but seemed to have some chemistry ... and even arrived together outside the Garden.

Once they were inside, the soap-esque plot twist became apparent ... as Eric was also enjoying the game.

The comedian didn't publicly make any contact with Emily -- with whom he recently went on a date -- but did do some celeb hype for the cameras and other Knicks fans.

It looks like he might've gotten the better seats than ER this time around, because he showed off his perfect view.

As we reported, Emily and Eric enjoyed a romantic evening together in NYC over the weekend, going out for food, drinks ... and presumably lots of laughs.

Emily's been super active on the dating scene since she filed for divorce from estranged husband Sebastian Bear-McClard in September ... the 31-year-old model's been linked to DJ Orazio Rispo, artist Jack Greer and, of course, Pete Davidson.

Kobe Bryant's game-worn jersey from his sole MVP season is about to hit the auction block ... and TMZ Sports has learned it could sell for a whopping $7 million!!!

The signed Purple and Gold threads are from Bryant's 2007-08 season -- the only time the legend won the NBA's Most Valuable Player award in his 20-year career -- which he wore for 25 games, including 6 playoff matchups.

Sotheby's, which is hosting the auction, tells us the item is the "most valuable Kobe Bryant game-worn jersey to ever appear at auction" as the Lakers legend "scored a total of 645 points over 8 months in this jersey."

He averaged 28.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game that season and led the Lakers to the NBA Finals.

What also makes the jersey so rare -- Kob signed the gear by writing his first name on the stitched number on the back.

FYI, this is also the same jersey Kobe was seen tugging on in the first round of the 2008 playoffs -- one of Bryant's most iconic photos of all time.

"This jersey has influenced popular culture in a way that is seldom seen in the sports community, becoming iconic and synonymous with the image of Kobe Bryant," Sotheby's said.

"In California alone, there are more than 15 murals depicting him in this jersey, with wings, American flags, and snakes in the background."

The jersey is expected to sell for anywhere between $5-7 million when bidding opens up on Feb. 2.

The current record for the most expensive piece of Kobe memorabilia is a worn, autographed jersey from his rookie year ... which sold for $3.7 million in 2021.

Miami Heat center Dewayne Dedmon got the boot from a game on Tuesday night ... and it's all 'cause he launched a massage therapy gun onto the court in a fit of rage.

For real.

The bizarre incident happened in the second quarter of the Heat vs. Thunder tilt at FTX Arena ... when Dedmon threw a bit of a temper tantrum following an impassioned argument with head coach Erik Spoelstra.

Video from the game's broadcast shows as Dedmon was walking away furious over the war of words with Spo, he reached down, grabbed a massage therapy device -- and hurled it over fans' heads and near players who were standing by the 3-point line.

Thankfully, no one was hit by the heavyish object ... but everyone on the hardwood was stunned by the incident nonetheless. Refs immediately ejected the 33-year-old over the act.

It's unclear what prompted the explosion from Dedmon -- Spoelstra only said after the game, "We're all a bunch of gnarly personalities ... That part was unacceptable."

It's expected the NBA will hand down further punishment on Dedmon later this month.

Despite the scene, the shorthanded Heat -- who were missing multiple players even before Dedmon's ejection -- somehow pulled off the win over the Thunder, 112-111.

Clipper Darrell was welcomed back to Crypto.com Arena with open arms on Tuesday ... as the L.A. Clippers and AEG showered their iconic superfan with gifts, champagne and some awesome tickets!

CD -- real name Darrell Bailey -- got the red carpet treatment in his second game back since he was knocked out by an arena security guard during an L.A. game on Dec. 12 ... and you can see in pics and videos, obtained by TMZ Sports, he had a blast in his return.

Darrell got to hang out with ex-NFL star Terrell Owens and actor Joe Torry -- after being hooked up with a bunch of goodies in the bowels of the arena.

Darrell, who also attended Sunday's Clippers game against the Atlanta Hawks, had a big smile on his face, appearing to have some courtside seats for the contest too!

And, as icing on the cake, the Clippers even treated Clipper Darrel to a big win ... as they rolled over the Dallas Mavericks, 113-101.

Of course, the scene was very different at the Clippers vs. Celtics game last month ... when a Crypto.com Arena staffer knocked out the superfan with a big punch following a dispute.

Nerlens Noel's legal battle with Rich Paul is over -- the two sides have settled their dispute ... with the former first-round draft pick agreeing to pay his former agent and Klutch Sports their cut of his $5 million contract with the New York Knicks.

In 2021, Nerlens -- who has earned around $45 million over the course of his career -- filed a lawsuit against Paul and Klutch Sports Group, claiming he lost $58 million in potential earnings when Paul represented him from 2017-2020.

Noel accused Paul -- whose client list includes several other high-profile NBA superstars, including LeBron James -- of advising him to reject a $70 million offer and take a one-year deal instead.

Noel's lawsuit came after Paul filed a grievance with the National Basketball Players Association ... claiming the former center owed him $200,000 in commission for the Knicks deal, per ESPN.

According to Shams Charania, Noel, Paul, and Klutch Sports Group "amicably settled their ongoing dispute" ... with the hooper agreeing to cough over the dough and withdraw all legal proceedings.

In September 2022, District Judge Jane J. Boyle, dismissed Noel's lawsuit ... recommending that the case be addressed within the NBPA's arbitration system.

"Sitting in a room discussing how to overcome fear with two of the greatest athletes of all time! Was truly life-changing!"

That's director Deon Taylor talking about a panel discussion that went down earlier this week in Los Angeles ... where Floyd Mayweather, legendary 50-0 champion, and Scottie Pippen, 6x NBA champion, opened up about something they rarely discuss -- fear.

We're told Floyd got personal ... speaking about his father leaving as a teenager, which he says taught him to be fearless.

Mayweather also spoke passionately about what he believes is a lack of support for other Black people in the Black community. Floyd told the audience he sees other groups of people supporting each other, while he said he often sees Black people tear other Black people down.

Floyd also turned to Pippen and told him people don't recognize that Michael Jordan never won a title without him.

The discussion, moderated by Van Jones, was also attended by Deon's wife, film producer Roxanne Taylor and actress Ruby Modine.

Taylor put on the event to promote his upcoming thriller, "Fear," starring Joseph Sikora. Deon directed the movie.

Mayweather isn't in the movie but is working with Deon on another project, Floyd's "The GOAT" series. Producers James McNair and Jona Rechnitz were also at the event.

"If we learn to overcome our fears -- we will see that there is nothing we cannot accomplish! Fear is the scariest film of the year -- simply because you can't out scary the human mind," Taylor told us after the panel wrapped.